Deliver Me an Angel
by Crittab
Summary: Crossover with Gilmore Girls. Tristan flees to Tree Hill, N.C with his son illegally. Karen helps him because of the compassion she has for other single parents. Trory, Naley, Leyton, and then there's Brooke.
1. Is This Where The Angels Are Leading Us?

Disclaimer: Don't own Gilmore Girls, or One Tree Hill. Hey taking some poetic justice with both shows, to insert Chad Michael Murray as both Tristan and Lucas. Let's just pretend for my sake that they aren't the same person.. Sorry.  
  
"Darkened streets and darkened hearts. They seem the same, while set apart. I'm scared of the dark. I can't put my car in park.  
  
I'm racing through the darkened streets. To the beat of my darkened heart."  
  
The room was silent. Mrs. Harris, the teacher began a light applause, but it was only joined by a few people. I, for one, am scared.  
  
"Well, James, that was very imaginative. Please take a seat," the young teacher says smoothly. James bows his head and walks slowly from the front of the room to the back where I am. I gather him in my arms and swiftly exit the room as the next little girl starts to speak.  
  
I walk to the car, with my son clinging to me. I can feel his tears penetrating my shirt, but I don't care. I open his door and sit him half in and out of the car. I lift his chin to look at me, his crestfallen demeanor breaks my heart.  
  
"You want to go home, kid?" He just shakes his head. "Where do you want to go?"  
  
"I want to run away," he whispers. I understand him. It's the way I feel.  
  
"To where?"  
  
"Anywhere," he said as a few tears escape his eyes. I wipe them away.  
  
"Hey, don't cry. It's alright. We can run away. Have an adventure," I say. His face turns into a broad smile.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Really. Come on, let's go get some stuff and we'll just go," I say. He smiled happily.  
  
"Where will we go?"  
  
"Wherever the angels lead us, Kid."  
  
I take my baby home, to the sterol house we have lived in since before he was born. The one his mother would get drunk in. The one she would hurt him in. The one that held every dangerous, painful memory we had. I pack a bag for him, and one for me. I grab all of the money we have in the safe and we run. Run from it all, the pain, the fear, the danger.  
  
We drive through the dark streets, highways, freeways, roads, wherever the wheels take us. We end up in a shabby motel at eleven thirty. He's been asleep for the past three hours, I wanted to be.  
  
I don't know how many state lines we've passed, must have been a lot of them. The person I talked to said we were in Maryland.  
  
I carry James into the rundown room I've rented for the night and settle him in one of the single beds. It was either the one by the shabby looking window, or the lockless door, Neither is safe. Maybe I'll just curl up with him, at least I can keep him from getting a cold in the wintry chill the room isn't protecting us from.  
  
I wake up at four thirty. James is still sound asleep. I turn on the faucet in the small bathroom and splash water onto my face, trying to rid myself of both the sleep and the headache.  
  
Is this where the angels were leading us to?  
  
Hours pass, we are in the car again. Zooming down the freeway at 100 KPH. James is tinkering with the radio, trying to find something that isn't country, without much luck. After a while he just turns it off and looks at me.  
  
"Daddy?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Where are the angels leading us?"  
  
"I don't know, kid. Wherever we end up, I guess."  
  
"Won't Catherine be mad?"  
  
"You need to call her Mom, James."  
  
"Why? She doesn't act like the other kids Mommies."  
  
"I know, but she's still yours."  
  
"Can't I get a new one?"  
  
"No, I'm afraid you're stuck with her."  
  
"Fine. So, won't 'Mom' be mad?" I say nothing. He keeps pushing.  
  
"I don't know, Kid. Probably."  
  
"I'm supposed to be with her today," he says. I nod.  
  
"Do you want to go home? You can spend tomorrow with her," I say. He shakes his head overly exaggeratedly, making me laugh.  
  
"I want to be with you forever, Daddy."  
  
"Same here, kid." I try to ignore the vibrating of the phone on my belt, but after a while I answer it.  
  
"Dugrey," I say, professionally.  
  
"Where the hell are you. I was expecting James hours ago," came the angry voice.  
  
"Hello to you too, Catherine."  
  
"Where is he, where's my son?"  
  
"He's right here, next to me."  
  
"And where is here? Come on, Dugrey, get him over here."  
  
"Mmm, that may be a problem."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because we just passed the Virginia state line a few hours ago," I say.  
  
"What are you talking about? You know you can't take him out of Connecticut," she yells.  
  
"We just needed a little break. Look, we'll be back in a few days."  
  
"No, you're going to come back here right now! I'll be waiting at your door tonight."  
  
"Catherine."  
  
"Tristan, if you aren't back by ten tonight I'm calling the cops. You know, you're disobeying a direct court order."  
  
"Why are you doing this, Catherine. This is about James, not me. He needed to get away."  
  
"He's six years old, he doesn't know what he needs. That's your job, and you haven't been doing it very well lately."  
  
"Goodbye, Catherine."  
  
"Ten o'clock, Dugrey."  
  
"A few days."  
  
"I'm calling the cops."  
  
"No you aren't."  
  
"I'd tell you to try to stop me, but that would be tough, since you're in the wrong state with a kid who's supposed to be with his mother!"  
  
"Yeah, his mother who beats him to a friggin' pulp every night when she's drunk!"  
  
"That's it, let me speak to my son." Tristan took the phone off his ear and turned to James, who had been silently listening to the one sided conversation.  
  
"You want to talk to your mom, Kid?" I asked. He shakes his head animatedly.  
  
"No way!" I lift the phone back to my ear.  
  
"Sorry, he doesn't want to talk to you," I say. A moment later I hear a loud click, then the dial tone.  
  
Dark streets, as dark as my heart. Help me to set them apart. I need your help, Holy Father. Give me the strength to head farther. Send me an angel, Deliver me from this hell.  
  
Hey, that's chapter one. One Tree Hill is coming in the next chapter. Let's see, we'll incorporate Tristan and Rory, some Haley and Nathan, Peyton, Lucas and Brooke. We're going to have Karen help Tristan out, because of the whole single parent thing. Looks like loads of fun in the future, all with Tristan running from the police, who want James back in Hartford. 


	2. Light in the Darkness

Tristan and James had been driving since seven that morning. It was now three and both were tired and hungry.  
  
"Daddy, can we stop?" James asked.  
  
"Umm, yeah, next town, okay?"  
  
"Can we stop now?"  
  
"We're in the middle of the freeway, kid," Tristan laughed.  
  
"Oh," James said, making his father laugh even more. He pulled off on the next exit and drove for a few minutes, when there was a pop. He pulled over to find his back right tire was flat.  
  
"Shit," he whispered to himself. He looked around. There was a small little town a few hundred yards away. He could see a few buildings, maybe one would be a repair shop, because he didn't have a spare.  
  
"Hey, buddy, we're going to have to walk it for a few minutes. You want to stretch your legs?" He poked his head in the car. The little boy stretched his legs out full in front of him, over exaggerated.  
  
"I all stretched," he said. Tristan laughed. He got the point. He picked up his son and began to walk them both to the town.  
  
A few minutes later he was looking around. There were several small buildings, but only one promised food for the two of them. He went inside and sat on a stool at the counter, James still clinging to him.  
  
"Hey," a woman with dark hair greeted. He smiled.  
  
"Hi. Umm, you wouldn't happen to know where an auto-body shop is around here, would you? I've got a flat," Tristan said. The woman nodded.  
  
"Uh, yeah, my friend Keith has one. I can give him a call for you."  
  
"Thank you, that would be great."  
  
"Do you need a tow?"  
  
"Uh, yeah, the tire is in shreds." The woman said a few things on the phone.  
  
"You need to be at your car in fifteen minutes," she said. He smiled gratefully.  
  
"Hey kid, you up for a walk?" he asked James. The little boy pulled his head from his fathers shoulder and shook it, making both the woman, and Tristan laugh.  
  
"You can leave him here if you need too. He can help me," the woman said. Tristan smiled and stuck out his hand.  
  
"Tristan Dugrey, this is James."  
  
"Karen Roe. How are you, James?" she asked. The boy turned to look at her.  
  
"I'm not allowed to talk to strangers," he said in a hushed tone.  
  
"She's not a stranger James, she's Mrs. Roe," Tristan said with a grin.  
  
"It's miss, and it's Karen," Karen said with a laugh.  
  
"Come on kid, don't you want to help Karen run her café?"  
  
"I want to stay with you."  
  
"I'll be back in a little while. Please, just stay. I'll get you some lunch."  
  
"On the house. Come on, James, we can have some fun. I'll let you help Haley in the kitchen."  
  
"Now I know Haley is a stranger," James said, causing Karen and Tristan to laugh even more. Tristan set James down and hugged him goodbye.  
  
"I'll be back in half an hour, behave," he said. He fixed the little boys hair and tugged his shirt down to cover his protruding belly, then headed off. Karen came around the counter and stuck out her hand.  
  
"Come on, we'll go get you something to eat," she said. He took her hand with a firm grip and followed her closely into the kitchen.  
  
Tristan arrived at his car a few minutes later, and waited only a moment before a truck came. A young man hopped out of in and came over to Tristan.  
  
"Are you the one my mom called for?" he asked.  
  
"If Karen is your mom, that would be me. Tristan Dugrey," he shook the young mans hand.  
  
"Lucas Scott."  
  
"I thought you said Karen Roe was your mother."  
  
"She is. Scott is my dads name," he said. He went and observed the back tire. "Damn, you killed this thing. Any idea what you went over?"  
  
"No clue. My son and I have been driving for two days, the tread might have gotten really down, it could have just been a sharp rock," Tristan said.  
  
"Or barbed wire," Lucas said, he walked a few feet behind the car and carefully picked up a piece of the said wire from the road.  
  
"That's definitely a strange place to put barbed wire," Tristan said with a laugh. Lucas joined him.  
  
"For some reason, I don't think it was put there deliberately. Come on, lets get this thing to Uncle Keith's. you want a ride?"  
  
"Yeah, I should probably go see this Keith guy."  
  
"Hop in," Lucas said. Once they were driving, Tristan broke the silence.  
  
"So, is this Keith guy your moms brother?"  
  
"Uh, no, he's my dad's brother. Keith Scott."  
  
"Ahhhh. So, who's your dad?"  
  
"It's a long, confusing story. And we're here," he pulled into the parking lot and right into the garage and hopped out.  
  
"Uncle Keith," Lucas said. He through him the keys. "We've got a Jag with a dead tire."  
  
"Jag, nice."  
  
"Yeah. Okay, so I'm going to go see if mom and Haley need any help at the Café, you good with that?"  
  
"Yeah, it's good," he turned to Tristan. "What did you do to kill your tire?"  
  
"Apparently, I ran over barbed wire," Tristan said with a laugh.  
  
"In the middle of the road?"  
  
"Looks that way. Hey, do you want a hand with the car?"  
  
"Do you know how to do this?" Keith looked skeptical.  
  
"Yeah, I took an auto repair class in university for fun," Tristan said. Keith laughed.  
  
"Sounds like lots of fun. Okay, lets find you a decent tire." 


	3. Angels Lead Me To A New Home

Tristan and Keith had spent hours tinkering with the Jaguar. They were both car buffs, and a car like this made Keith light up like a kid in a candy store.  
  
"How did you manage to keep a beauty like this in such amazing shape?" Keith asked. The two were walking to Karen's café for dinner, since both were tired and famished.  
  
"I don't take it out that much. Normally I drive my Volvo, but I figured James and I should take our road trip in style," Tristan said with a laugh. Keith shook his head with a smile.  
  
"You are a lucky man, Dugrey. The only car I've got is that old tow truck that Lucas found you in."  
  
"Well, I'll have to let you drive the Jag sometime, but this town really isn't all that big, you don't need cars to get to most places," Tristan observed. Keith and him entered the café and walked up to the counter. Haley came out of the kitchen.  
  
"Hey, guys. Coffee?" she asked they both nodded.  
  
"Oh, Tristan, right?" she asked.  
  
"That's me."  
  
"Karen took James back to her house. He fell asleep in the kitchen. Lucas is going to stay with him for a while when Karen gets back here," Haley said. Tristan nodded.  
  
"Thanks. I should have been back hours ago, I told James I'd only be half an hour."  
  
"Oh, I don't think he minded. He had a blast taking orders and stuff. He's really cute," Haley said, placing steaming cups in front of both men. Tristan laughed.  
  
"Nevertheless, I should have been back earlier. He's going to freak at me when I get to Karen's house."  
  
"He doesn't seem like a spazzy kid," Haley said, sitting across from them at the counter.  
  
"Hey, I can take you up to Karen's house when we're done," Keith offered.  
  
"Thanks. Gees, is everyone in this town so nice?" Tristan asked. Having come from Hartford, this was an unexpected surprise when coming to Tree Hill.  
  
"Nope, just us. But then again, every state has it's anomaly," Haley said with a grin. Tristan nodded, remembering the short times he had spent in Stars Hollow. It was the definition of an anomaly, to say the least. It was like Walnut Grove on Little House, only everyone liked everyone.  
  
"Yes they do," Tristan said with a laugh.  
  
"Do you like it here?" Keith asked. Tristan nodded.  
  
"Yeah, it's great here. Everyone is nice, or at least everyone I've met," Tristan said. The door behind them jangled and a tall man with dark hair walked in.  
  
"Nathan, hey," Haley greeted. He smiled and walked up to the counter.  
  
"Hey yourself. Are you almost ready to go?" he asked.  
  
"I just need to wait for Karen to get back here. You want some coffee?" she asked. He nodded and sat down.  
  
"Hey uncle Keith," he greeted. Keith shared pleasantries with the young man while Tristan looked on, confused.  
  
"Are you everyone's uncle, Keith?" He joked. Keith laughed.  
  
"Just Lucas and Nathan. Hey, Nate, this is Tristan Dugrey, he's in from Connecticut," Keith said. Nathan shook Tristan's hand.  
  
"Nice to meet you," Tristan said, Nathan nodded.  
  
"So, are you a friend of Uncle Keith's?"  
  
"I guess so. I just met him today though," Tristan said with a laugh. The young man smiled.  
  
"Well, some people in this town are just friendly like that."  
  
"I'm beginning to realize that. It reminds me of a little town back in Connecticut. Stars Hollow."  
  
"You know where Stars Hollow is?" Karen asked as she walked in the door. Tristan turned to face her.  
  
"Yeah, it's only about half an hour from Hartford. Hey, you mind if I go to your place and grab James?" he asked. She shook her head.  
  
"Keith can take you, can't you Keith?" she asked with a grin. He just laughed.  
  
"Karen, am I free to go?" Haley piped in, Karen smiled.  
  
"Yeah, thanks for taking over, Haley. See you tomorrow," She said. Haley smiled and walked around the counter to Nathan.  
  
"Let's get out of here," she said with a smile, kissing him lightly. The two left after saying appropriate goodbyes.  
  
"So, I'm still a little confused about the whole uncle thing," Tristan said. Keith laughed.  
  
"Lucas is Karen son, and Nathan's half brother," Keith said.  
  
"So, Nathan isn't your son?" Tristan asked Karen. She shook her head.  
  
"No, he's Lucas' fathers son," she explained.  
  
"I'm still confuse, but I don't think that's going to change anytime soon. So what do you know about Stars Hollow?" he asked.  
  
"There a woman living down the road from me who moved down here from Stars Hollow."  
  
"Really? Huh, small world."  
  
"Yeah, she's a writer for the Tree Hill Gazette. Really nice woman."  
  
"What's her name?" Tristan asked, taking another sip of his coffee.  
  
"Lorelai Gilmore, well, Rory," Karen said. Tristan looked up, surprised.  
  
"Rory lives here?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah, you know her?" Keith asked.  
  
"Well, we went to high school together, well, some of it," he said. Karen nodded, seemingly satisfied.  
  
"Hey, you wan tot go grab your kid, Tristan?" Keith asked. He nodded.  
  
"Yeah, thanks for taking care of him, Karen."  
  
"No problem. Will you be back in tomorrow?"  
  
"I think so. I like it here, I might stay for a while," he said with a smile. Karen nodded her goodbye to him as he and Keith left.  
  
A few minutes later they arrived a small house. Keith opened the door and motioned for Tristan to enter.  
  
"Lucas," he called out. Lucas came around the corner, with a sobbing James clinging to him.  
  
"He woke up and didn't know where he was. I think he got scared," Lucas said, passing James off to Tristan.  
  
"Thanks for watching him. How much do you want?" Tristan asked, trying to calm down his son.  
  
"For what?"  
  
"For watching him."  
  
"Oh, nothing. It was a favor."  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Yeah. So, how's the car?" Lucas asked Keith.  
  
"It's a beauty, Luke. You would have loved to work on this baby."  
  
"Probably. So, Tristan, how long are you in town?"  
  
"A few days, probably. Why?"  
  
"Just wondering."  
  
"Okay well, I should go try to find a decent hotel. James wont be very happy sleeping on the side of the road," Tristan joked. Keith shook his head.  
  
"You won't find one. The nearest hotel is in the next town. Why don't you just come stay with me," he asked. Tristan shook his head.  
  
"I don't want to impose."  
  
"How is it an imposition if I asked you to stay?"  
  
"Good question. Thanks."  
  
"No problem, we should get out of here. Lucas probably has a date to get ready for or something," Keith said with a grin. Lucas laughed.  
  
"You're funny, you know that Uncle Keith?"  
  
"Oh yeah, I'm just a regular Robin Williams. I'll see you at the garage, Luke."  
  
"Yeah, yeah," he said, closing the door after the two gentlemen.  
  
"So, which way?" Tristan asked. The two walked the short distance to Keith's' house, talking amiably as they went. 


End file.
